Leading the Blind
by Hyena Cub
Summary: Lynx-O helps a young Wollo girl deal with a new handicap.
1. Chapter 1

  
Leading the Blind 

1 

"Ahhhh!! Noo!" 

"Help!" 

Screams rose from the village, as two dark shapes cast their shadows on the ground and rained fire at the people's feet. 

"Get inside! Go, now! Go!" 

"Look out!" 

"Mama!" 

"Nya-ha-ha!" From above came a shout of triumph, as the lasers of a Skycutter struck the left leg of a fleeing Wollo. "I'm one up on you!" 

"Not for long, Jackalman!" Monkian growled, firing at a small child, who was trying to get to his mother. 

There was a scream of anguish from the woman as the lasers strafed the ground, and cement and dust rose. She started to sob until she heard the child crying and saw that one of the other women of the village had tackled him away from the blast. 

The mother ran, falling to her knees and gathering the child into her arms. She hysterically thanked the woman for saving her child's life. 

"Blast! I missed the little bastard, hoo, hoo!" Angry, Monkian came around for another shot, but the threesome was running away now, a moving target. 

He missed. 

At the edge of the Wollo village, Jackalman and Monkian were having a morbid contest. Wagers had been made, exchanges of work duties and belongings; the one that could hit the most villagers would be declared the winner. Jackalman had made the only strike so far. 

As the first cry of "Call the ThunderCats!" rose from the citizens, Jackalman decided it was enough. Neither of them wanted to tangle with the felines. "Let's go!" he called gleefully. 

"Not so fast, Jackalman!" Monkian protested. "Just 'cause you're winning…!" 

"You want the ThunderCats to settle the wager, you moronic monkey?" 

Monkian growled and grumbled, trying to find an excuse to stay…but Jackalman was right. For once. That didn't stop him from trying to hit the people as he left. But he was not a very accurate marksman from the sky, and no one was hit. 

As he neared the edge of the village, Jackalman grinned, spying a generator that powered many of the buildings on that street. He fired. Accurately. 

There was only a small explosion, which disappointed him, but then he grinned. The scream of what sounded like a young girl came from behind the machine, and he believed he had hit her as well. "That's two!" he crowed, flipping a rude gesture towards Monkian. 

"Hoo, look out, you moron!" Monkian pointed frantically. 

Jackalman looked around and his brown eyes widened as a barrage of fire lanced towards him. He took his Skycutter into a tight spiral, which saved his life, but did not save him from taking several glancing blows. The jackal howled as one of them tore a deep furrow in the flesh of his bicep. 

The Hovercat was airborne, closing in on the cowardly attackers. Their sensors had seen them long before the Wollos could even call them, and now they were here, and they were angry. 

Panthro roared below in the ThunderTank, with Wilykat at the guns in the back. They charged after the simian. 

The fight did not last long. The Mutants retreated fast, after taking only a few shots, and the ThunderCats did not give chase. They landed in the village, much more concerned with their allies than chasing down the two assailants. 

Tygra and Pumyra jumped out of the ThunderTank, their medical supplies at the ready to help the healers of the town. The twins also hopped out and began running from person to person, helping clean up, or helping Tygra and Pumyra when it was needed. 

As Lion-O landed the 'Cat and Snarf jumped out behind him, he could hear the cries of the injured. "Any casualties?" he asked anxiously. Panthro had begun to help the people clean up the damage. 

"N-no…" One of the adults answered. He was a healer, kneeling next to a stunned man. "But two serious injuries…numerous minor ones. I-I don't think we have the means to…" 

Lion-O followed his gaze to an unconscious man being tended by two others. His left leg had been torn off by the laser fire, and he lay groaning, slipping in and out of consciousness. "By Jaga! Tygra! Pumyra! Over here, a priority!" 

The pair looked over, and Pumyra gasped. She and Tygra hurried to the unfortunate man and began helping the healers stop the bleeding and cleanse the wound. "Good gods," Tygra said. "I can't believe this…" 

"Any others?" Lion-O asked, looking around to see if anyone would answer. The one man had said there was one other. 

"Lord Lion-O!" called a female voice. A woman knelt by the girl that had taken cover behind the generator. She was screaming, hardly audible over the sounds of the crying and the cleaning and the talking in the town. Her father had her head cradled in his lap. 

Lion-O looked the situation over quickly, then called to Pumyra. "Come over here, Pumyra! Let Tygra handle that one!" 

The lithe puma ran over, her medical bag in her hand. "By Thundera," she whispered. Kneeling, she pulled out a jar of a light blue salve from her bag, and began rubbing it gently into the girl's wrists and neck. 

"But…but her face is what was hurt…" the girl's befuddled father said. 

"I know," Pumyra told him, her normally bold voice now soft and soothing. She continued administering the salve. "But this is a bit of a sedative. It will absorb through the skin and into the bloodstream and dull the pain. It works fast." 

Almost as if to prove Pumyra's words, the girl stopped her screaming, and quieted to a soft whimper. Her mother soothed her bloody hair. 

"All right," Pumyra said softly. She took a damp antiseptic cloth from its package and began to clean the child's face. The girl whimpered, but the painkiller was dulling her senses, and that was all the outcry she gave. 

As Pumyra used a second, then a third cloth, she could see that her patient was not really a child; but more of a young adolescent. 'Just the age to start being interested in boys," she thought to herself. 

Another thing was becoming apparent: the girl had been blinded. The explosion was minor, but she had been at ground zero, and her upper body had taken much of the brunt. Only a few tufts of the light fur clung to her face, and ugly burns covered it. The puma wiped carefully at the girls' eyes with the cloth, making her cry out. Even in the after-chaos of the attack, Pumyra heard only the cry of her patient, everything else dimming to the corners of her awareness. "Shhh," she whispered. "I know. One more, all right?" 

Once the blood was cleared, the healer was sure. Her open eye was burned badly enough that the orb was misshapen, with no chance of there being sight left in it. The other eye was seared shut, with a thick liquid seeping from the corner of it…and this told her that eye was also destroyed. 

Tears leaking from her own eyes for the child, Pumyra still smiled at her, digging out a vial of light yellow liquid. She smoothed the girl's hair back. "Hey," she said. "Can you hear me?" 

"I-I can't see," the girl whispered. 

"I know," Pumyra said gently. "I am going to give you a painkiller, all right? But you have to drink it for me." The victim nodded weakly. "Good girl." With Pumyra's help, she downed the vial. Almost immediately, she fell limp, alarming her parents considerably. Before they could say anything, Pumyra said to them, "It's all right. It's only a sedative so I can finish up without hurting her further." 

The parents nodded as the puma finished her ministration, stripping the girl's shirt from her and cleaning and bandaging her torso. She applied a healing salve to her face and also bandaged it, careful to leave plenty of breathing space. 

Then she sighed, hating some parts of being a healer. "I hate having to tell you such bad news…" she said to them. "…I'm afraid she's been blinded. Her eyes were severely damaged. Her life is not in danger any longer, but…" She trailed off, taking a brief moment to get a hold of herself, "I'm afraid she will never be able to see again." 

The mother sobbed and buried her face in her husband's shirt. The man put his arms around her and looked at Pumyra. "There's nothing you can do for it?" he asked, his own voice shaking. 

"No," Pumyra whispered. "There was too much damage." She wiped her eyes, thinking of something her fellow apprentice had told her once on Thundera. 'You're too emotional," he'd said to her, after seeing her burst into tears at the death of their mentor's current patient. "Healing'll kill you." 

Maybe it would, eventually…but Pumyra was of the opinion that if you didn't feel, you shouldn't be a healer. Feeling was a part of it. 

She gave the parents a few moments, then pulled some jars of the healing salve form her bag. She told them how to apply it, how often the change the bandages, and what to expect, physically. She put the jars and some bandages in a small sack and handed it to them. "That's all I can do." She bit her lip. "Can I help you get her to your home?" 

The father shook his head. ", we can get her there. Thank you, Lady Pumyra, for your help." He grasped her hand. 

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more." She squeezed the man's hand, then returned to where Lion-O was helping finish with one of the other wounded, and the others were finishing with some of the clean-up. As the patient was taken away, the exhausted Tygra stood, having finished with the crippled man and simply moved on to the next. "Are you all right?" 

The puma nodded and leaned against him when he put his arm around her. Had it been only an hour since they arrived in the village? It seemed like at least a day. At least. 

"Come on," he said. "There's no more we can do here." 

Nodding once more, Pumyra let him lead her from the village.   


Pumyra of course filled the others in at the Tower of omens, and noticed without surprise that Lynx-O showed particular interest. 

And then she rested. 

Pumyra checked back on the young girl a couple of days later, and a couple of days after that. She was healing well, physically, but Pumyra was saddened at the girl's state of mind. It was to be expected, but it still saddened her to see how depressed the poor child was. She wished the parents luck as she left. 


	2. Chapter 2

  
2

"Kohlee, please eat something," the girl's mother pleaded. It was five days after the accident, and the Wollo girl was sitting at the dinner table with her parents. She said nothing. 

"Come on now," her father said. "It's your favorite dinner." 

"Not hungry." The words were whispered. 

"You have to be hungry!" her mother exclaimed. "You've not eaten a bit in two days." 

"Do you need help?" Kohlee's father took his daughter's hand and the spoon and tried to place it in her hand. 

The reaction surprised him. Kohlee jerked her head back violently, stumbling as she shoved her chair back from the table. "Leave me alone!" she cried. Stumbling to the door, feeling her way, she ran outside. 

Her mother ran out to try and stop her, but her mat caught her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "No. Let her go." 

"But…she'll hurt herself…"   
The man shook his head. "No. I think I know now…I think I understand a little bit." 

"What do you mean?" 

The man sighed. "She's feeling helpless. Look what she's gone through! The last thing she needs now is us babying her, and treating her like she can't do anything on her own. I just made that mistake." When his wife began to protest again, he gently placed a finger on her lips. "Listen. The area is safe enough. If she gets a few bumps or bruises, it won't kill her, she's a tough girl. She needs some time, I think." 

Reluctantly, the girl's mother nodded and she let her husband lead her inside. 

In the woods nearby, the young Wollo stumbled among the trees. She could of course, not see. It was a darkness more complete that any blindfold could ever inflict on her, nor even than the darkest night. 

Sounds she had once enjoyed now took on ominous tones. Birds chirping sounded mocking, like they were laughing at her. Noises that she wouldn't even blink at before now startled her because she could not see where they were. She couldn't do anything she used to do without help! And even then there were things she would never be able to do again. She'd never draw again, she'd never read her books. 

Scraped and bruised from her unseeing run, Kohlee bumped off of an unyielding tree and collapsed against it, sobbing. 

After a moment she realized she couldn't even cry right. No tears. 

Kohlee curled up miserably on the leaves and grass, which felt soft and cool after her run. One small thing she could still enjoy. 

The young Wollo had no idea how long she was out in the forest alone. She obviously could not tell by the sun. The only thing she knew when she stood up was that she had no idea where she was. And she had no idea which way was home. 

Kohlee felt a surge of panic. What if she couldn't find her way home again? What if something attacked her? The woods were so big.   
She turned around, suddenly paranoid. What was that noise? Was something already eyeing her as an easy target? Now afraid, Kohlee took off running, her hands waving in front of her as she ran. 

"Wait! Child, wait!" called a masculine voice. 

It wasn't an animal, it was a person! Kohlee was not sure which one was worse. She heard him say something, as if talking to someone else, and felt like crying again., There were two of them. 

Kohlee did not know how long she ran, but she did hear her pursuer behind her nearly the whole way… 

Finally she couldn't run anymore, and collapsed. Her hands hurt from hitting the trees in front of her, and her left wrist burned like she'd sprained it. She curled up next to a tree, her hands over her ears, and hoped he'd get it over with, whatever he was going to do. 

After a few minutes, she heard voices, and didn't move. When a pair of strong hands grasped her wrists, she screamed. "Leave me alone!: But…all he was doing was holding her, and talking she finally realized. When she stopped fighting and listened, she heard him. 

"That's right, it's okay, darling, it's only us." 

"Papa!" Kohlee nearly fainted with relief. Knowing he realized who he was, her father let go of her wrists and took her into his arms. "It's all right, it's just me. Easy." He smoothed back her ruffled hair.   
"S-someone ch-chased me…d-didn't know the way home…" Kohlee's words tumbled out. 

"That was only Hartam, Kohlee, I asked him and his wife to keep an eye on you." 

There was silence for a long time, and then: "B-but why didn't he say so?" 

Hartam spoke up, his voice kind. "I tried to, little one, but you got spooked. So I sent my wife after your mom and dad." 

Despite his kind tone, Kohlee felt abysmally foolish. He had been the voice he had heard. Blushing furiously, she hid her face in her father's shirt. 

"Come on, Kohlee," her mother said finally. "Let's head home. It is very late." 

Kohlee did not argue. 

A few days went by and Kohlee ate a little bit, which made her parents somewhat happy. The girl stayed in her room most of the time, sitting or lying on the bed. The adults were getting worried. They'd had the healer come and talk to her, but she would not speak with him. And they had no healers of the mind. 

Kohlee's parents began to discuss going to the ThunderCats to ask if they could help, but were not sure if they were willing to try; what if they said no? They were very busy. But still, their child needed help. 

Their decision was made for them one day when they woke to find Kohlee gone. At first, they were pleased, as she'd not left her room for two days; maybe she had gone outside. But Kohlee's mother felt a deep sense of alarm, a feeling that something was wrong. She told her mate, and he felt the same way. 

The coupe searched. They searched the whole apartment and discovered something more unnerving than just their child's disappearance: the ornamental dagger that usually hung over the fireplace was also gone. The rack that had held it was lying on the floor, exactly as if someone who could not see had felt along the wall until they found when they were looking for. 

:Lords," her father whispered. "We must find her, quickly." 

"You don't think she'd-" 

"Would you risk it?" 

No more words were uttered as the two Wollos hurried out of the house. Neighbors were told and gathered, and a small search party set out to find her.   


"Over here!" Nearly an hour later, Hartan's anguished voice send chills through Kohlee's parents. "Oh, gods, quick, I think she's dead!" 

"No," her father whispered, breaking into a run. "No! She cannot be!" When he reached the spot where his friend stood, his hand on his side where a stitch had begun to throb, his eyes widened and he fell to his knees beside the girl. She lay facedown in the grass, blood trickling from gashes on the backs her hands where the main artery ran in the Wollo people. The red-smeared dagger lay by her side. "Oh gods, oh gods, please, no..." her father whispered as he gathered Kohlee's body in his arms. 

After a moment of despair, his eyes widened once more, and he nearly dropped the girl. Her body was warm, he realized...and she was breathing, if barely. He felt frantically for a pulse and nearly collapsed with relief himself when he found one. "She's alive!' he exclaimed to those watching, their heads bowed in grief. Every one of them snapped their heads up at the words. "We've got to get her to the healer!" 

Kohlee thought that she might be in the afterlife. She must be, else why would she be hearing voices? She was dead, wasn't she? Had she not cut her hands? 

Both frightened and excited, she opened her eyes, wondering what she would see, but something was wrong. Only one felt like it had opened, and she saw nothing, 

"She's awake!" Her father...it was her father's voice she'd herd, and he now rushed to her side and took her hand. She was in the healer's place. 

Kohlee's heart felt like it had been doused in ice water. She was trapped once more in her sightless world; she'd been found before she'd passed on. She let out a sorrowful cry. 

"Shhh, it's all right, I promise," her father said, closing his own eyes. "We'll get you help, I promise you this..." 

He did not understand; how could he? Kohlee did not answer. 

The healer, who had stitched the wounds shut and bandaged the girl's hands, pronounced her well enough to go home. As expected, she was fussed over on the way, all the while being silent, sitting motionless in the cart.   
The morning after, the Cats' lair received a visitor; the twins ran down to meet the Wollo woman, who was actually about their height, maybe even a bit shorter. 

"Hi!" Wilykit said as she opened the door. 

"Come on in," Wilykat added, opening the door wider. He had met the Wollo before. 

"Thank you," she said, forcing a smile to the twins. "I would ask to speak with the healer, Pumyra. She helped my daughter, who was hurt in the attack by the Mutants of Plundaar." 

"Oh...well she's not actually here," Wilykat said. "She lives at the Tower of Omens."   
"We could take you there if you want," Wilykit offered. She liked to help people of course, but any chance top pilot one of the vehicles was always worth taking. 

"Would you?" she said, now smiling a more genuine smile. "I would be most grateful, Miss Wilykit." 

"Miss?" Wilykat snorted, ducking the punch that Wilykit sent his way. "You missed, miss..." He grinned at her as she turned around to go inside. The Wollo looked amused. Wilykat grinned; he wanted Wilykit to know he wouldn't let her forget it any time soon. 

"I'll go tell Lion-O where we're going,' Wilykit said. "Then we can leave. I'll meet you in the hangar." 

Not long afterwards, Wilykit met her brother and their guest down in the hangar. "Lion-O said I could take the 'Claw, with Skira with me." She looked smug. "But you've got to take your spaceboard." 

Wilykat stuck his tongue out at her as he hopped onto his board, and watched Wilykit lead the Wollo onto the ThunderClaw with her. When the paw of the hangar rose, the twins took off. "I get to fly it back then!" he called. 

Skira had an iron grip on the Thunderkitten as they flew; tight enough that Wilykit had to ask her to let go a little because she was impeding the cub's flying. 

"A-are you sure you know how to fly this vehicle, Miss Wilykit?" she asked fearfully. 

As her brother smirked at her from his board, Wilykit sighed. "You can call me Wilykit. And yes...I have flown it tons of times." 

Still, Skira's grip did not waver until they landed. 

"Hello, Thunderkittens," Pumyra said as the twins ran into the control room, the Wollo close behind. "And hello, Skira. How is Kohlee doing?" She nodded to Lynx-O as he walked into the room. "Please, sit down." Pumyra gestured to a chair near the window. 

"Thank you," Skira said, as she sat in the contoured set. It was made for someone far bigger of course, but it still was very comfortable. The cool vinyl felt good after the heat of the day. "I'm afraid she's not doing very well at all. She is healing well physically, but..." 

Pumyra nodded, encouraging her to go on, while Lynx-O leaned against a console and listened. 

It was difficult to tell the ThunderCats about how depressed her daughter had been, how she refused to eat most of the time, how jumpy she was. The worst part was her suicide attempt. When she finished, Skira looked up at her hosts. "I...don't know if you can help me, or know of someone that can. But..." she sighed deeply. "It hurts me greatly to see her like this. 

Pumyra nodded. "I understand how you feel,' she said sympathetically, glancing at Lynx-O. She remembered well the grief and fear he had at first gone through after the shock of Thundera's destruction had faded. "I am a physical healer. I know little about the mind, and how to mend it." She frowned in thought. "I think that Tygra might have studied a little of it though, and I know the Bolkins have among them a healer that specialized in malaise of the mind." 

"Pumyra," Lynx-O said quietly. "Perhaps I can help. After all, I know what she is going through." 

"Oh - oh!" Pumyra said, feeling foolish. She had just been thinking about Lynx-O's accident, why had she not thought of having him talk to the girl? "That's a good idea! Do you want to go on over today?" 

Lynx-O shook his head. "No." He gained a puzzled look from both Pumyra and the Wollo. "I don't want the young lady to feel that I was brought to her because she did something wrong." The lynx unerringly made his way to a large storage drawer and felt around inside of it. . When he found what he was seeking, he handed it to Skira; it was a spare communicator. 

Frowning in puzzlement, the Wollo took it and asked what it was for. 

"I would like you to contact me in a couple of days' time, when your daughter has had a bit of time to physically heal. I will not tell her you asked me to come, it may make her feel defensive. 

Skira's eyes flashed with understanding. "Oh! All right, yes, I can do that." He looked at the device. "How do I use it?" 

Lynx-O showed her how it worked, and walked her to the front doors. "Keep a close watch on her," Lynx-O said. "But try not to crowd her." He was thinking of how he had felt, landing on Third Earth. He had known Bengali's and Pumyra's intentions were well-meant, but he had not wanted them around; he had not wanted their pity and coddling. It was that fierce desire to be independent that had driven him to develop his other senses so keenly. Perhaps that would also help the young Wollo. 

Skira nodded and turned to face the old lynx. "Thank you," she said sincerely. Then she paused. "I watched you move around your control room...and make you way down here. Without feeling, or hesitating...how do you do it?" 

Lynx-O smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "Well, I am hoping that it is something I can teach your daughter."   



	3. Chapter 3

3 

"Kohlee," Toshlan said, knocking on her bedroom door. 

"What?" The girls; voice was dull, sad. Lynx-O could tell much from it. 

"There is someone here to se you." 

There was a bit of a snort from inside. "Who, the healer?" She had heard enough of the wrinkled old creep. 

"No. One of the ThunderCats." 

There was a silence from the room for at least a full minute. And then Lynx-O spoke. "Hello, Kohlee. My name is Lynx-O. May I come in and talk?" 

Another silence, but a brief one. "I-I guess so." 

Lynx-O opened the door. "Thank you," he said. He smiled warmly, leaving the door open. He felt his way into the room, then asked her if there was a chair he might sit in. 

Kohlee frowned, even that action feeling mutated and strange from the injury of her eyes. Could he not see for himself? Was he making a mockery of her lack of sight? She knew little of the ThunderCats, and was not even sure which one Lynx-O was. Had she seen him before? Seen him...that was a joke. 

"You could sit on the bed," she said tentatively. "I-I think you might be too big for my chair..." 

For a moment Lynx-O had forgotten how small the Wollos were in comparison to a Thunderian. He had never seen them, after all. "Thank you," he said, feeling carefully along the walls until he located the bed. As he sat, he felt the girl's light weight leave it and heard her fumbling around. "I heard what happened. Pumyra says you were hurt pretty badly." 

There was silence for a moment, and Lynx-O could feel her despair and resentment. He understood it. "Yes," she finally said. 

"What happened?" he could hear her parents listening in the other room, being very quiet. 

It was a moment more before she answered him. Lynx-O had almost thought she wasn't going to answer when she finally spoke. "Mutants," she said hatefully. Lynx-O could not see her clench and unclench her fists, but heard the anger in her voice. "They attacked us...just for fun." Her voice nearly broke on the last word. "I hate them," she whispered. 

Lynx-O sighed. "They are cowards. But I did not think they would stoop so low." 

Kohlee shrugged, her head bowed. 

"Kohlee. I know how difficult it is for you—" 

"How could you?' the young Wollo suddenly cried, interrupting the older cat. "How? What do you see when you look into the mirror?? You know what I see? nothing. I can't even FIND the mirror anymore! But if I could I would see a monster!" Her voice told Lynx-O she was crying, but her eyes of course could no longer shed tears. "Th-the healer said I would be scarred for life, even without being blinded! A-and some very 'kind' people in this town have told me just exactly what I look like!" She sniffed, wiping her nose. "So why don't you tell me what you see in front of you...*then* tell me how you know how hard it is!" 

Lynx-O stayed quiet. The young girl needed very badly to vent her frustrations, and fear, and anger. It was necessary. He let few moments pass, and then spoke. "I see a smart young woman," he began. He did not know the girl, but had spoken enough to the parents to get an idea of what she was like, and his intuition did the rest. "I see a young lady with parents that love her. I hear a voice tinged with sorrow and anger, but also having strength and resilience." 

Kohlee stood up. "But what do you see? What do I look like?" 

"Does it matter?" Lynx-O said softly. 

"Yes! Tell me!" Kohlee's voice broke as she remembered everything all over again, the mental block barring the memories having broken for now. 

Lynx-O smiled a little sadly, and then stood. "I cannot." 

"Why?" The voice sounded angry, but also a bit puzzled. This was not an answer that she had expected to hear. 

"Because I, too, am blind." 

There was nothing for a very long time. Lynx-O could feel her surprise, and just a little bit of distrust. He walked toward her voice and put a hand on her shoulder (it took him a couple of tries, as she was a small girl). "I would like to speak to you again, young Kohlee. But for now I must go back to my duties." He smiled. "I will come back tomorrow." 

Kohlee still said nothing as Lynx-O left the room When he closed the door, she still stood by her desk. 

Lynx-O met with her parents in their main room. "Lynx-O" Toshlan began. "I am very sorry she spoke to you like that; it was uncalled for." 

"We will speak with her later about it," Skira added. 

Lynx-O shook his head. "No. Please do not. Kohlee is very angry, and hurt. And upset. And she has a right to be. If she had not reacted like that, I would have been very surprised indeed. 

"But still..." 

"She needs to talk about it. She needs an outlet for her anger. That she spoke to me at all was a good sign." 

Toshlan smiled, the lynx-s gentle patience having soothed his anxiety. "Will you come back?" 

"Of course. I would like to start visiting her on a regular basis. This is, of course, if she wants me to. If things work out well, I can begin to teach her how to get along without her eyes." He paused, and then added, "And with your permission I would like to eventually begin teaching her how to fight, to defend herself when she cannot see her enemy. That above most will help in getting her confidence back" 

Toshlan and Skira looked at each other and Skira nodded. The man turned back to Lynx-O. "We are more than willing to permit it," he said, sounding grateful. "But do you not have duties?" 

Lynx-O chuckled. "Yes, I do have duties. But I also have plenty of time to myself. And part of my duty is helping people." 

The two Wollos looked at each other again and smiled. "Then bless you, Lynx-O." Skira said, and then impulsively hugged the elderly warrior. She began to pull back, blushing bright red under her fur, but Lynx-O only laughed softly and returned the embrace. 

"Thank you," Toshlan said. 

"You are very welcome. She did not deserve that, and I want to help her get through it as much as I can." He felt his way to the door after Skira had moved away. "I will see you tomorrow, then."   


Lynx-O returned to the Tower of Omens and told the others there what had gone on between him and the young girl. "She is very distraught," Lynx-O said, shaking his head. "The poor girl. But she is young, and I hope that it will help with her mental and emotional recovery." 

"Did she speak to you?" Pumyra asked. 

Lynx-O nodded. "After a fashion. I believe that she expressed some things that she has been needing to now since it happened, and that is good. I told her that I was blind." 

Bengali, sitting at the scanners, turned around. "How;d she take that bit of information?" he asked. 

Lynx-O smiled a bit. "I sensed distrust," he told the tiger. "But she said nothing. I am not sure she knew what to say. But I am going to visit on a daily basis for a little while. I will speak with Lion-O of it, and although I will be using mostly my free time, I may have to arrange for some of my duties to be taken by you or Pumyra. 

"Hey, we've got ya covered," Bengali said immediately. Whatever else could be said of Bengali, that he was loyal was first and foremost. 

Pumyra nodded in agreement. "Yes, do what you can for the child. You've no idea how badly I felt for her." Then she laughed quietly and added before Lynx-O could answer, "Well actually you probably do." 

Lynx-O put a hand on her shoulder and smiled. "I do understand. Tomorrow I will visit again. I intend to begin teaching her how to compensate for her loss of sight. But first I must earn her trust, at least to a certain degree." 

Pumyra nodded. "If you ever need my help..." 

Lynx-O nodded. "Thank you, I will certainly call on you. Now I believe I am going to make myself something to eat, as I have not had my meal yet." 

Pumyra nodded as Lynx-O made his way out of the room.   


The next day things did not go nearly so well. When Lynx-O came to visit, Kohlee's parents told him that she had not eaten since his visit, though they'd tried hard to persuade her. But she had at least made no move to kill herself again. 

Lynx-O nodded. "It's all right, not eating for one or even a few days won't harm her badly. Try to be lenient with her. It is part of her way of dealing with this." He smiled and went to Kohlee's door an knocked. There was no reply. "It's Lynx-O," he called. "May I come in?" 

"No." 

Not a good sign. But it was not entirely unexpected. "Have I made you angry?" he asked. 

"Leave me alone!" 

The lynx thought for a few moments, deciding whether or not to press the issue. But he remembered his own feeling of helplessness, and his overreaction to anyone that might want to persuade him to do anything other than exactly what he wanted to. And he did not push it. "Well I will visit tomorrow then," Lynx-O said, his voice perfectly friendly and casual. "Sleep well, Kohlee." 

Skira was in silent tears. "I can't stand seeing her this way," she whispered. Her mate put his arms around her. 

Lynx-O nodded. "I understand...but you must be patient. Whatever you do, don't push her to do anything she doesn't want to unless it is directly threatening her health. When I lost my eyes...I felt so completely helpless and useless that I wanted to die. But I knew that to kill myself would be foolish. But I could not live as I was, unable to find the privy without someone guiding me. And so the only alternative was to learn new ways. And slowly I did." He smiled. "Kohlee will also realize this in time. But until she does..." 

"We must be patient," Toshlan finished, and nodded. "Understood, Lynx-O. I cannot tell you enough how grateful we are." 

Lynx-O shook his head. "Please. You've expressed your gratitude, and I appreciated it very much." He smiled. "You and your people are my allies, and I could do no less. I will come again tomorrow, then." And with that, he bade them farewell. 

Things went much in the same way for the next two visits, but Lynx-O did not become discouraged. Kohlee had eaten only once more in that time, which worried him slightly, but she had been drinking water, which eased his concerns a bit. 

On the fourth day, there was a bit of a change in how things played out. When Lynx-O knocked on the door, there was no pause. It was opened, and a small foot sailed out of it and kicked him right in the shin! 

Lynx-O started, standing completely still for several moments at the unexpected attack, as the door slammed shut. He heard a gasp from Kohlee's mother, but Lynx-O was well pleased. After a moment more, he laughed aloud. 

"You be quiet" came the hurt-sounding voice from within the room. "Leave me alone!!" 

Lynx-O said nothing for a moment, working out how to phrase his thoughts. And then he spoke. "Kohlee, I laughed because I am happy." 

Silence. And then, "Happy about what?" She sounded angry still, but Lynx-O could tell she was too curious about what h had said to keep from asking. It was an excellent sign. 

"I m happy that you did that." 

Silence again, for a longer bit of time. Lynx-O waited patiently, glad that Kohlee's parents were keeping their silence. "You're...happy I kicked you?" Now she sounded like she was not quite sure if she had heard or understood right. 

"Yes." Lynx-O chuckled. "I am, my friend. You're not defeated yet, Kohlee. There's still plenty of spirit inside that mind of yours. I have known warriors in my time that would not strike a ThunderCat. Good for you." These last words might have sounded condescending coming form anyone else, but somehow from Lynx-O they sounded only delighted. 

Lynx-O had not expected a reply to that, and did not get one. He imagined she didn't know what to say. Still, he had to tell her parents as before that he was not angry about what she had done; quite the contrary. Not only did it show that her spirit had not been subdued, it showed that she was already learning a little bit how to compensate for her lack of sight. 

Lynx-O left in a good mood.   



	4. Chapter 4

  
4

"She kicked you in the shin?" Bengali's voice was incredulous, and then he laughed long and hard. "She's got guts, that one!" 

Lynx-O nodded. "Yes. I imagine that she's getting fed up with my visiting her nearly every day and knocking on her door. But that's good, it reminds her that although she's lost her sight, she's not lost anything else. I only have to be careful not to make her too angry." 

Pumyra was smiling. "She's doing better then...I'm so glad." She paused. "So...you think she was waiting for you to knock?" 

"Well I have been coming at the same time of day...I imagine she listened for the gonging of the town's clock tower and hovered by her door in ambush. Tomorrow I hope that she will be a little more receptive. Now that I have gotten something other than 'no's' and 'go away's', I believe that she might."   


Two days later, when Lynx-O came into the house, he sensed something a bit different. He discovered that Kohlee's parents were in the kitchen, as he heard them talking. All the previous times they had been anxiously waiting for him to get there, and worried about leaving Kohlee alone for too long. That was also a good sign, then. He waved in the direction of their voices, and approached the girl's room. 

Another thing that he sensed different was that the door was open. He could feel the fresh breeze from outside. He cocked his head slightly, his ears twitching. He thought that the girl might be standing in the doorway but he was not sure. And so he only stood and waited. 

Finally Kohlee spoke. "You're not going to leave me alone until I talk to you...are you?" 

Lynx-O smiled broadly. Her tone was almost that of a child who is trying to sulk but has a parent successfully trying to make him laugh. Torn between amusement and annoyance. 

He did not answer for a long time, and he could sense her watching him, and waiting for his reply. "If you truly do want me to leave," he said to her. "Then say so...and I will leave and never come back." At that there came surprise from the girl. "But I would like very much to speak with you." 

"But...why?" she asked, sounding a little bit frustrated. "Why do you care? What's talking going to do? It won't help anything!" 

"But it does, Kohlee. Have you never heard of mind healers? They heal by talking. Some use medicines, but most heal only by talking and helping their patients find their own healing, inside their hearts." 

Kohlee made a disgusted sound. "I don't have anything left in my heart,' she said, sounding almost as if she was about to cry. 

At this, Lynx-O laughed. "You've got plenty in your heart," he said to her. "A lot of boldness being a good part of it. Not to mention a good strong kick." 

He could feel a change in her mood, and after a moment decided that she was either ashamed or embarrassed. It turned out to be the latter. "I...I guess I'm sorry I kicked you," she said to him. 

Lynx-O shook his head. "It is accepted. And as I said...I am glad that you did it. Will you speak with me?" 

There was a bit of a silence, and then Kohlee sighed. But she did not sound unhappy about it, only resigned. "Yes...yes I'll speak with you..." She backed up a bit to give Lynx-O room to get into her bedroom. 

Lynx-O smiled. "Thank you." He stepped carefully into the room, feeling along the walls to make his way again to the bed. He needed to bring a collapsible chair with him next time, he thought. He might break the bed if he sat in it too often. His fingers brushed what felt like papers on the walls, with the smooth, waxy feel of crayon or colored pencil on their surfaced. Drawings then...she drew. That alone could have made someone want to kill themselves, if their drawing meant anything to them at all. Not being able to do it anymore... 

"Why?" Kohlee asked, closing the door. Lynx-O heard her walk a few feet and sit down, in a chair, he presumed. She had mentioned having one. 

"Why?" 

"Why do you want to help me so bad?" 

Kohlee sounded rational for once, and Lynx-O was glad to hear it. She sounded subdued and very weary, but rational. "Because you need it," he said simply. "And I am a ThunderCat." He made a noise before Kohlee could speak out. "Hold on, hear me out. No, I do not want to help you because as a ThunderCat it is expected of me. I became a ThunderCat because I want to help people, and it is what they are dedicated to doing. I believe that anyone that is able to should help others when they can...then fewer of us would have to suffer." 

There was nothing for a moment. And then, "You speak well,' Kohlee said. "You should be a politician." 

Lynx-O was not at all put out by this. "Thank you, speaking was something I always did well, both in school and out." 

"Yeah....con men speak well too, you know." She knew she was being rude, but she didn't care. Not now. 

Again, Lynx-O did not take offense. "They do," he agreed simply. "Do you doubt that I mean what I say?" He did not ask this as a challenge, only as a question of curiosity. 

Kohlee was taken aback. Her one eye blinked, something that she was getting used to. It always felt swollen and misaligned now, because of the horrible scar tissue beneath the lid. The other had not been able to be saved, and the lid had been cut off to rid the socket of the infection that had settled in. "Well..." she said finally. "I...I don't know." 

Lynx-O nodded. "Fair enough." 

There was a pause before either of them spoke again. And then Kohlee asked what had been preying on her mind since Lynx-O's first visit. "Are...are you really blind?" 

This was expected. The girl sounded tentative, as if almost expecting Lynx-O to say that he was not. "Yes," Lynx-O said. "I am." She said nothing, but he could feel her skepticism. "" believe that I can prove this to you." 

This time Kohlee sounded openly surprised. "You can?" 

"Yes." Lynx-O got up off of the bed and knelt on the floor. "Come here," he said in a soft voice. He heard her stand up also and walk slowly toward his voice. Listening to her footfalls, he held out his hands so that her shoulders hit them. She jumped a bit, and stopped. 

Lynx-O put his hands on her arms and then ran them down to take her hands. "There are other ways to 'see' besides using your eyes." 

Kohlee frowned, but she did not pull back when Lynx-O drew her forward. He gently placed her hands on top of his eyes...or where his eyes had been. She gasped as she felt the horrible scars there, and felt that his eyes had also been seared shut, like her one eye had been. She could also easily tell that he was not shamming. "I..I'm sorry..' she said, running her fingers over the man's sightless eyes once more before drawing away. She sounded horrified. "How did it happen?" 

"Thank you," lynx-O said with a smile. He stood and sat back on the bed. "It happened when Thundera was destroyed." 

"Des...destroyed?" 

"Yes...that is why we are on this planet. The planet that we lived on...they don't know why or how...but it had begun to tear itself apart. There were earthquakes, geothermal bursts, disastrous weather that all became worse and worse as Thundera deteriorated." He paused, then continued. "A burst of steam hit me square in the face as Pumyra, Bengali and I evacuated." 

There was nothing from Kohlee's direction for a very long time. And the she asked, "Were you ThunderCats then?" 

Lynx- shook his head. "No, that happened later, when we were discovered. It is long story, and I will gladly tell it sometime. But today... I would just like to tell you what I would like to do. If you are willing." 

"What?" Warily. 

"I want to teach you." He waited for a reaction to this. 

Kohlee frowned, not quite knowing what Lynx-O meant. "Teach me...teach me to what?" she asked. 

"For a very long time after we crash landed here...I sat around and felt sorry for myself. And that was very normal and natural. But as the weeks and then the months went on, I began to learn new ways of doing things. Knowing who was walking by, by recognizing the differences in their footfalls. Knowing how tall someone was by listening to where the sound from their speech comes from. Recognizing someone from their scent. There were a few things that I could no longer do; But as I learned more and more, the things that I could not do became fewer and fewer." He paused, and Kohlee was silent. "I had friends to help me. I would like to teach you these things, Kohlee. I would like to teach you how to use your ears, and your nose, and your hands to see the world around you." 

Kohlee listened to Lynx-O talking, and felt somewhat numb. That was a lot to digest...and so soon after her trauma. But...but if there was a chance, even a small one, that she could maybe have a normal life again... "What...what would I have to do?" now she sounded a little bit scared. 

"Only listen," Lynx-O said. "Listen, and try. I would like to come here three days out of the week...and begin teaching you these things. And there are many things that I will ask that you try when I am not here. It will be rather like school." 

"And...and my parents would be all right with this?" 

Lynx-O chuckled. "Of course, young Kohlee. They care very much for you and would like, even far more than I, to know that you are beginning to heal." 

Kohlee said nothing for a while, and then bit her lip. It sounded very frightening. But with someone helping her that understood... "All...all right," she finally said, and then nodded her head. She frowned, and made her voice lose its tremor. "All right. I...I'll try." 

Lynx-O smiled delightedly. "Good! Good, Kohlee...I am pleased." Lynx-O stood and put his hands on the girls; shoulders. This time he did not fumble before finding them, as he had spoken to her and listened enough to get an idea of her size. "I would leave you with an instruction then." 

Kohlee turned her ear towards him, looking suspicious. Lynx-O could not see this, but could imagine the leery look on her face. "What?" she asked warily. 

"Well, I have listened to you move about your room," he said. "The first time that I was in here you bumped off of nearly everything. Today you have done it considerably less." He smiled. "I would like to come by for the first lesson in three days... In that time I would like you to learn the layout of your home. I would like you to go through it, feeling along the walls, feeling everything along them that you can reach. You know and remember what furniture is where...I want you to feel it with your hands, remember how many steps it is from one piece to another... When I come here in three days I would like to hear you walk about the place without bumping into anything." He paused. "Do you think you can handle that?" He stopped, a bit surprised, and then laughed. "No pun intended." 

Kohlee also frowned, wondering what he meant, before making the connection to feeling around and handling. She laughed, a sound that surprised them both. It was a good thing to hear. "Okay," she said in a small voice. "I...will try." 

Lynx-O nodded. "Thank you. I will see you in three days then." He put a hand on the doorknob, pausing there. He had heard what Kohlee had not; hr parents were listening outside the door. He wanted to give them plenty of time to go into the other room. He had an idea Kohlee would be indignant if not angry to know they'd been eavesdropping. 

H heard them moving away quickly and almost laughed aloud. Then he left the room. 

After staving off many thanks and expressions of relief, he told them that they should probably not eavesdrop on their daughter anymore, no matter how worried they were. It indicated a lack of trust. They had been a bit ashamed and agreed, and told him that they would do their best to try and loosen up a little bit. Pleased with this also, Lynx-O left.   


"So how did it go?" Bengali and Snarfer were both in the control room when Lynx-O arrived back at the Tower of omens. He had been considerably longer, and the others were not sure if this was a good or a bad sign. 

But Lynx-O was smiling. "It went well," he said. "A bit tiring of course, as dealing with anyone that has suffered a trauma is tiring to the heart. But it went well. I told her that I would like to teach her and she agreed." Lynx-O laughed. "At first she listened only because I promised that if after I was finished she still wanted me to leave for good, that I would. But we spoke, and she accepted my offer." 

"Great! Snarfer, snarfer. She needed that," Snarfer proclaimed confidently. He nodded his head and jumped into a seat. "I'll bet she's a fast learner, too. She's a lot younger than you were, Lynx-O." The young Snarf realized that that had sounded very rude and turned red under his fur. "Er, sorry Lynx-O, that didn't come out right." 

Lynx-O chuckled. "I don't mind, Snarfer. That's very true. Children adapt far better in many cases than do adults. I believe that nature has made them so to help them survive when they are too small to do it through sheer strength and learning."   



	5. Chapter 5

  
5

When next Lynx-O visited his young student, he said nothing at first. He made a "shh" gesture to Kohlee's parents, and puzzled, they remained quiet. Lynx-O walked so that even his own keen hearing could not discern his own footfalls, and simply waited. He had set Kohlee a task, and he wanted to see if she had attained it, without her knowing he was there to "watch". He also was curious as to whether she would realize he was there or not. 

At first, she stayed in her room. But eventually she came out, slowly, but without the rasping sound of hands on walls. Lynx-O smiled. She obviously had been practicing, and surely she wished to be able to move around her home without feeling the walls. 

Kohlee came from her room and confessed that she was hungry, to her mother. Skira glanced once at Lynx-O, and getting the idea, pretended he was not there. Indeed, it was not difficult to do this, as her pleasure at the request took most of her attention. Trying not to sound overly excited, she said that dinner would be ready in a half hour. 

Kohlee nodded her head, and then frowned, as Lynx-O stood. 

"What's wrong?" asked her mother. 

"I...don't know..." Then she scowled. "Is there someone else here?" 

Before Skira could answer, Lynx-O chuckled. "There is indeed, Kohlee." 

Kohlee started, and then turned around to face the voice. "Lynx-O?" 

"It is." 

Kohlee was silent for a moment, and then said in a tone of indignation, "Why didn't you say anything?" 

"It was not a trick," said Lynx-O. "Simply a test. That you knew I was here is a very good sign, it means you are quite adaptable, and will be able to learn the things I have to teach you well." 

The girl obviously was still wanting to be indignant, but finally gave in and only sulked a little bit. "Oh, fine. What am I gonna learn today?" 

Lynx-O smiled. "Today, we will take a short walk in the woods behind your home." 

And for the next half hour or so, the pair simply walked. They walked, and talked. Lynx-O kept a close ear on the girl's movements, and gently guided her when she would run into a rare, or stray from the primitive path. He explained what he heard in the wind and air shifting around the barriers, the shade he felt by the trees, and where he felt the sun coming from. Knowing where the sun was and where the shadows would fall was instrumental in determining where things were. Both, of course, occasionally tripped or bumped into something, but when they got back, both were relatively unharmed. And Kohlee had much more to think about.   


Things continued along these lines for the next few weeks. Lynx-O would take Kohlee outside and simply walk with her, tell her what he heard, and remain silent until she could also hear them, and understand what they meant. He began teaching her to still her mind to catch subtle signs in her environment that spoke to her subconscious, and intensified gut feelings about things. After two months of this teaching had gone by, he was glad to feel the shadow of her ordeal slowly leaving her heart. It would never leave completely, of course, but it could be tamed and beaten down by acceptance and adaptation, and humor. 

For one exercise, when Lynx-O felt confident her feelings would not be truly hurt by it, he set up a sort of obstacle course for her to walk. If she failed in some parts of the course, to determine where something was, or where the pathway was, certain things would happen. Failure to feel the hair-thin wire across the pathway would lead to it breaking when she stepped past where it was strung, and a bucket of whipped dessert topping would be emptied on her head. Another pitfall involved a puddle of water, and another, a wide area of mud. 

Lynx-O warned her ahead of time what would happen, and she seemed reluctant, but finally did agree to walk the course. This would teach a double lesson. It would make her a little more inclined to pay attention to her surroundings, and it would teach the lesson of irreverence, and humor. 

Kohlee became quite indignant at stepping in mud with her bare feet, and even more so when the whipped topping covered her head and shoulders. But, to Lynx-O's delight, she finally started laughing, and eating the whipped topping as she finished the course. 

Lynx-O hugged her when they finished, regardless of mud and dessert. "Very good! You see, sometimes silly situations aren't so horrible, if you can laugh at them." 

Kohlee snorted. "Easy for you to say, you're not a mess." 

Lynx-O raised his eyebrows. "Hmm. You're correct. Very well then, I set you your next task. Now you may have help for this, but you must do everything you possibly can, on your own. I will next visit in one week. You have until then to set up a course of your own, for me to run. Make it as difficult as you like, in fact. And when I visit, I will walk your course, and we'll find out how well I fare." 

Lynx-O could almost hear the grin that spread on Kohlee's face. She laughed. "It's a deal."   


Kohlee was nearly disappointed. Lynx-O had been blind for a very long time, and as a feline, his other senses were a bit keener than the Wollos' were. He walked nearly the whole course without incident. 

But a very clever "trap" caught him. His feet caught the feel of the edge of a stone, that just could be the trigger for something that he might not care to walk into, and so h changed direction, feeling out the pathway before him. So keen was he on avoiding this trap, that he failed to notice the brief shadow of a long pole. This pole had a tripwire on the ground, and when Lynx-O stepped on it, he was doused with cold water. 

Kohlee laughed gleefully at Lynx-O's surprised cry, and jumped up and down. The lynx began to laugh, both embarrassed and pleased. "Are we even, now, then?" he asked once he'd run the rest of the course. 

"Yeah...' said Kohlee. And on impulse, hugged the old cat.   


Month upon month followed of this sort of intense training. Lynx-O began teaching her how to defend herself against an opponent she could not see. She had professed interest in staff fighting, which she had seen the warriors performing at their training drills before her accident. Lynx-O thought this to be a wonderful idea, and took her to one of these training sessions, to listen to what was going on. Every once in a while he would ask her what she thought was happening, by sound only, and she was even right sometimes. He did this a few times before even giving her a staff to begin practice with. 

When she did get her weapon, it seemed to fit in her hands like it belonged there. Lynx-O instructed her on maneuvers by feeling her hands and foot positions. He listened to how the staff whistled through the air (and sometimes his innocent trees that stood by). As she got to know her weapon, how it worked, and how her body worked when wielding it, her movements became more and more practiced and smooth. 

One day, after one such session, Lynx-O came in to speak privately with her parents. While Kohlee washed up, he asked them if she had gone into the town since the accident. The answer was...very rarely. "Unfortunately," said Toshlan, "she has not. She fears teasing and taunting from the other youths, or from children, even adults. I fear there are many in this village who are simply cruel at heart and enjoy poking fun at people who are different. 

Lynx-O sighed. "Yes, I have seen it. I believe we will take a break from combat training to begin teaching her how to deal with such things." After all, nearly all of this teaching had been occurring in the woods behind the family's home. 

The next day he came a bit early, and explained to her what he wanted to do. As expected, he came up against resistance. No way would she go out into the town. What if the boy she liked saw her? Worse yet, what if Tyril from her school class saw her? She was a mean girl that liked to make fun of her anyway. Kohlee had no intentions on making that task any easier. 

The old ThunderCat did not push it just yet. As with everything else, he would have to be patient. However, in the next few subsequent visits, he began telling her why it was a good idea to go out and begin learning how to deal with such taunts. She could not stay in her home forever, after all. Finally, he did persuaded her to go with hi into the town for a field trip. 

It was not a highly successful outing. She did get a few jeers and taunts, which made her run away weeping in sheer humiliation. She ran into the corner of the building and hit her head on it, which only made the jeerers laugh all the harder. Lynx-O silenced them with a fierce reproachful look, and they left. Blind or not, they knew better than to mess with the old cat. 

Lynx-O offered his comfort and encouragement, but she only yelled for him to leave her alone, and so he left her to feel her way back, only watching to make sure she came to no harm. 

For two weeks afterwards, Kohlee informed Lynx-O in no uncertain words that he was not welcome, and he respected this. He did not mention the village again for a few weeks. When he did, Kohlee surprised him by agreeing with little persuasion, saying she had done a lot of thinking in the past weeks. "I mean...I'm thirteen seasons old, now," she said. "I...I feel silly being afraid to go out." 

Lynx-O chuckled. "Good, I'm glad." 

The next few outings were not exactly picnics, but after the first time, it was always easier. She began realizing that while her injury always took up the forefront of her own mind, that not everyone in the street was going to stare at her like she was a monster. Only the cruel ones would taunt her, and she didn't care about them much. It still hurt, and it still made her miserable...but the crushing sorrow became less and less. 

And Lynx-O was always there with his words of comfort and friendship. 

One day, they sat on a table outside a little cafe that Lynx-O had discovered a few days prior, having a nice lunch together. A little girl's voice piped up next to Kohlee, startling her. Lynx-O had heard her approach, but Kohlee had not. "What happened to your face?" came the child's curious query. 

Lynx-O, sensing a highly defensive reply coming, squeezed Kohlee's hand. "Who are you speaking to?" he asked the little girl. 

The child turned to Lynx-O, and realized that he, too, was blind. "Oh...I guess you both..." 

Lynx-O smiled. "For my part, an accident on my home planet hurt my eyes, so that they could not see anymore." He had thought about letting Kohlee answer, but perhaps if she experienced Lynx-O dealing with such a situation, she would realize it wasn't so bad. 

"Oh...does it hurt?" 

Lynx-O shook his head. "No, little one, it does not hurt any more. It did at first, but when the skin healed, it stopped hurting." 

"Oh...did the same happen to her?" 

"Perhaps you should ask her," Lynx-O suggested. He felt an almost panicky tightening of Kohlee's grip on his hand, but he was proud when she let go a moment later, and spoke. "I...I got hurt when the Mutants came and attacked," she said, swallowing hard. 

The little girl gasped. "Can your eyes see?" 

Kohlee sighed. "No." 

The little girl was silent for a moment, and Lynx-O got the distinct feeling that she was pouting on Kohlee's behalf. "I'm sorry..." 

The child might have gotten further in her expression of sympathy, but an older voice came up behind her. "Um...sorry about that, my sister asks way too many questions." 

Lynx-O did not know who this boy was, and spoke. "It is quite all right. The innocent questions of youth are always welcome to me." He frowned, at a small gasp from Kohlee's direction, but did not ask what was wrong. 

"Thank you sir, for answering her questions," said the boy, and then turned to speak with Kohlee. "I heard what happened...I'm real sorry. Are you going to be back in school when it starts again?" 

Finding her voice, Kohlee managed to stammer, "I...I don't know." 

"Oh." The boy actually sounded disappointed. "Well...I hope you will. Well I gotta get my little sister home, Mama'll be wondering about us. See you again?" 

Kohlee actually smiled a little bit. "Okay.." she said. The boy smiled back, and left. 

At Lynx-O's question about who he was, she stammered out, blushing furiously red, that it was Forir, a boy she admired in school. Well, Lynx-O thought, pleasantly surprised. That was quite a positive thing to happen, after so many disappointments with the citizens of the town. 

Elsewhere on Third Earth, two people spoke, as they went about their patrol. "I can prove it! Hoo!" said one vehemently, his simian face twisted in a scowl. "That girl you said you killed is still alive, so she doesn't count!" 

"Forget it, Monkian. There's no way you're going to cheat on this one!" 

Monkian growled. "I don't have to cheat, you miserable scavenger! I'll show you!" 

"But...what about patrol?" 

"Forget patrol! S-S-Slithe always falls asleep in the control room anyway, he'll never find out!" 

After a moment more, Monkian persuaded his companion to come with him to the Wollo village. He had been nearby once or twice, spying on the young Wollo girl as she trained with Lynx-O. He brought Jackalman to the hiding place he most often used, and peered from behind a tree, at a distance of course, lest they be discovered. "There," he whispered. "Hoo, hoo, is that proof enough?" 

Jackalman stared, a growl rising in his throat. "Well then," he hissed. "I'll have to fix that."   



	6. Chapter 6

  
6

School in the Wollo village had stared two months before, and it was nearly time for the autumn festival. Lynx-O and Kohlee were wearing light pants and tops, rather than their warm-weather clothing and uniform. Lynx-O was trying to hold yet another combat lesson, but was finding his student's attention far too distracted by the festival to concentrate. 

Kohlee intended to attend the festival, and had asked Lynx-O to come, not because she felt she couldn't do it without him, but because she wanted him there...as a friend. Lynx-O had readily agreed, and asked if she minded other ThunderCats coming as well. She had grinned and said she didn't mind at all. 

Once it was obvious that nothing productive was going to be accomplished, Lynx-O decided a game of tag in a large clearing would at least provide some kind of instruction, expend some energy, and be fun. And so the two played tag for a while before sitting on a log to talk. 

"Did you ever like to read?" Kohlee asked Lynx-O. "Or draw, or anything like that? Before your accident?" 

Lynx-O smiled. "I did," he said. "I loved to read, all sorts of books. And...I still do." 

There was a long silence from Kohlee. "You still do? But...how?" 

"There is a language for blind people called Braille. It consists of little raised bumps representing the letters. When you run your fingers over the bumps, if you've learned the language, you can read. It is the way I use sensors, and the like, I have something called a Braille board. It looks much like a computer keyboard, with Braille letters on it, and electrical impulses on certain buttons tell my fingers what it going on." 

There was another silence, one that reeked of shocked surprise. "There is?" she finally asked, eagerness in her voice. "How do I learn it? Do they make books of Braille? Will you teach me?" 

Lynx-O chuckled. "They do make books of Braille, and the computer at the Tower of Omens can convert existing books into Braille as well. And I will teach you gladly. You are quite close to having the sensory sensitivity needed to read Braille easily. Perhaps for the remainder of this school year, along with your other lessons, we can begin learning." 

Kohlee laughed excitedly. "I thought I'd never be able to read again!" 

"Well, it will take a while to learn. But you will read again. That I promise."   


Deep in the woods, two Mutants conversed. "Hoo, I'm not gonna help you, Jackalman," he said. "You want her dead, you do it yourself." 

"Nya-ha-ha! Not like I need your help, Monkian," said the jackal. "I've 'borrowed' a Thundranium pistol from Vultureman." 

"'Stole,' you mean." 

"Whatever. It's strong enough for one Thunderian...more than strong enough! It'll be like shooting puppies in a barrel." He cackled. "Or kittens." 

The two Mutants quieted as they neared the place where the two sat talking. Monkian stood silently behind his companion, while Jackalman got out a small pistol from a holster on his belt. 

Lynx-O sensed something moments before it happened, and by the way Kohlee stood so quickly and grabbed her staff...she had felt it too. "What's wrong, I feel something," she whispered fearfully to Lynx-O. 

Lynx-O had gotten out his Light Shield. "Be ready, young Kohlee. Be ready to run for help if need b-" 

Lynx-O never got out the rest of his sentence, as he was hit from behind by the Thundranium beam. It his him square in the back, making him stumble, and seeming to take the strength from his limbs. His legs shook as he spun around and reflected the next blast back at the wielder, but as it was pure Thundranium energy, it didn't bother the jackal in the least. He simply set off as many blasts as the gun would discharge. Whether or not Lynx-O managed to reflect them back, the level of the stuff in the clearing would be too high for the old cat to deal with. 

Jackalman's plan had worked. Lynx-O tried to stay conscious, for Kohlee's sake as much as his own, but he sank to his knees, his muscles shaking with the exertion of trying to keep him upright. Jackalman sprang into the clearing and hit Lynx-O over the head with his club. The old cat went down. Jackalman cackled. 

He would have to act fast, Jackalman knew. The blasted Lord of the ThunderCats always knew when one of the other ThunderCats was in trouble. Always! But this shouldn't take long, right? After all, it was a little blind Wollo girl. How much trouble could she cause? 

At first, it seemed like Jackalman was right. As Jackalman began firing, her whole body froze in fear at the sound of the Mutant's voice. It was him. Somehow she knew this, it was this one that had blinded her to begin with. At first this realization made her freeze yet more. 

But then Lynx-O's patient training and teaching began making its way into her consciousness, and even in her paralyzed fear, she realized she knew what was going on. The jackal was firing something that hurt Lynx-O somehow, but it wasn't hurting her. It stank of harsh chemicals and, somehow, fire. Thundranium? Lynx-O had told her of it, and this must be it. 

She heard Lynx-O fall to his knees. She heard and smelled the jackal Mutant run past her, and she shook with fear. She heard something, pres7umably the jackal's weapon hit Lynx-O, and she heard him hit the forest floor. 

Then she heard the Mutant turn on her, and suddenly understood that he meant to kill her; hurt her badly at the very least. She also realized that she did have to let that happen. 

Jackalman nickered as the girl before him readied her stance and assumed a competent-looking fighting stance. He laughed aloud at the look of determination on her face as he leapt forward with his club, intending to bash the girl's head in. Kohlee heard all of this, and she ducked, allowing the club to whoosh harmlessly over her head. She heard his squawk of surprise as he overbalanced and nearly threw himself on the ground. 

Advance! She could nearly hear Lynx-O's voice in her head. Attack while he's off balance! The girl sprinted forward, ducking under the branch of the tree she knew was there, as she knew this part of the woods very well by now. She lashed out with the light staff, catching Jackalman in the back and nearly knocking him to the ground. 

She smelled his anger as he caught his balance and turned again, growling at the girl that had just humiliated him. Kohlee could swear she heard someone else laughing, deeper in the woods, but paid it no mind. She spun as the jackal sprang at her again, taking a slight glancing blow of the club to her shoulder, but managing to hit Jackalman across the backs of his knees. The jackal went down, and though Kohlee's hyper senses were by no stretch perfected, they were certainly honed enough to hear the jackal hit the ground. 

Kohlee darted forward and kicked, as hard as she could, the place where she thought his head was. It ended up being his ribs, and he grunted in pain. Strangely, anther "thud" was heard on the ground, and for a moment, Kohlee had a horrible vision that the jackal's arm or something had been torn off, and hit the ground. But in split second later, her mind convinced her that was impossible. And so... 

His club. The young Wollo realized she had been hearing her assailant's club hitting the ground. She grabbed, and Jackalman grabbed at the same time... 

Kohlee was certainly no match for Jackalman in strength, but the lithe young girl certainly outmatched him in speed. Her hand closed on the handle of the heavy weapon a mere second before his, and she yanked it back with all her strength. It landed barely a yard away, so heavy was it, but the important thing was, it was out of Jackalman's grasp. 

Jackalman was furious. Now, even he could not miss the sound of Monkian's laughter as he watched farther into the woods. Breathing hard he launched himself at the girl, intending to bash her face in with his bare fists. He silently vowed to give Monkian's face the same greeting later. 

The jackal's anger was something that Kohlee could use. She understood this. After all, had Lynx-O not told her many stories that illustrated how anger clouded one's thinking? He would be lunging straight at her, mindless of little else. 

She darted out o the way yet again, not able to bring her staff around in time to hit him again, but realized that she had cleared a path right to his weapon. He would have it again in a minute. 

The fear was beginning to show through the adrenaline. She couldn't keep this up forever, what if help didn't come? 

But it did. Almost as if this thought had made it so, there was a sound overhead, a sound she finally realized was the ThunderCats' flying vehicle. She heard a powerful voice cry "Hoooo!" and heard the startling sizzle of a high-powered energy beam heading her way. For a moment she panicked, and crouched to the ground, covering her head and face. For a moment, her mind flashed back on the attack she had tried so hard to block out ever since it had happened. But then she heard Jackalman's yell of pain, heard him run into the woods. She heard two pairs of feet disappear into the trees, and breathed a sigh of relief. 

The next several moments were very confusing for Kohlee then, for she had not learned yet how to sort out so many sounds at once. For all she could tell, the clearing was suddenly just full of people. Her parents had heard the commotion and had run for the clearing, with several of the neighbors. As they were out a ways, it took until now for them to arrive. She felt her mother's arms around her, sobbing with relief.. She heard feet everywhere, and at least four voices either asking what had happened, or issuing orders. 

Then she caught the name Lynx-O, and she let out a worried cry. Breaking from her mother's grasp, she ran for the place where she had heard Lynx-O fall. After nearly tripping over him, she fell to her knees and frantically felt for his chest, to see if his heart still beat. She felt another pair of hands, which belonged to Pumyra, and pushed them away. She closed her one eye by habit, desperately trying to shut out all the noise, as she sought the heartbeat, and strained her hears for the sound of breathing. 

A moment later, she found both, and nearly sobbed with relief. Pumyra, who had already determined that Lynx-O was alive, had let Kohlee find out for herself, and then smiled. "He will be all right, Kohlee," said Pumyra. "We're going to take him to the Tower, if you'd like to come." 

Kohlee was certain that had it been her, that Lynx-O would have come along to make sure she was all right. And so, she would do the same. She nodded her head, and Pumyra stood. "Then follow us." 

The young Wollo hesitated, turning towards where she'd left her parents for a moment. "Go ahead," said her father, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "We'll be here when you get back." 

And so she followed Bengali and Pumyra as they brought their friend to the ThunderStrike, where Lion-O sat now at the controls.   


Lynx-O had been brought into the infirmary, which was so full of herbs and other potent natural healing substances that it almost looked more like a greenhouse than a medical room. She lay Lynx-O on a bed near a counter, and set about cleaning his head wound and administering a shot that wound help counter the affects of the Thundranium. The winds had carried the potent fumes away for the most part, but all of the cats had known immediately that it had been used. 

Once that was done, Pumyra laid a hand on Kohlee's head briefly, and said that they only had to wait for Lynx-O to wake. Kohlee said she would wait there, and Pumyra said that was fine. 

The young girl had actually fell into a doze by the time Lynx-O woke. Her adrenaline rush had worn off, and now she only felt shaky, and exhausted. Lynx-O groaned, and Kohlee stirred. When she realized where she was and that her friend had woken, she lurched to her feet and ran for the sound. She grunted as she ran full tilt into the bed, but ignored this as she stood on her toes to throw her arms around the lynx. 

Lynx-O groaned, but he laughed, and put his own arms around her. "Oh, I was worried, Kohlee," he said. "What happened?" 

After a moment, Kohlee told the story, and when Lynx-O spoke, he was highly impressed. "Well," he said with a laugh. "If a final exam were needed, my young friend, you just took it. And you passed with flying colors. I am very proud." 

Flushing with pride, Kohlee smiled widely. But then she frowned a little bit. "Does that mean you're not going to teach me anymore?" 

Lynx-O shook his head and then chuckled. "No, absolutely not," he told her. "I have yet to teach you Braille. And I believe we've a festival to go to next week." 

Kohlee laughed and hugged him again.   


A week later, it seemed the entire Wollo violate had gathered in the town square for the autumn festival. Food and game booths were everywhere, and there were contests and races and performers. 

The ThunderCats, who all agreed that they could use a break, had put the auto-defenses into effect at the fortresses, and joined Lynx-O at the festival. Many Bolkins, and even the occasional Warrior Maiden and Tuska had come to enjoy the festivities. 

Lynx-O stood at a booth, drinking a mild alcoholic drink, and listened to Kohlee telling a couple of her friends how she'd fought Jackalman. The battle had done wonders for the girl's self esteem, Lynx-O realized, and she had sought out her friends two days afterwards. She had had enough of hiding, she'd said. And she'd asked Lynx-O if she minded if she went alone. Lynx-O had not minded a bit, in fact he was delighted. 

Kohlee planned on going back to school the next year, after she had learned Braille. The school said they would give the books she needed to the Tower, so that Lynx-O could use the computers to convert them to Braille. Kohlee would have some catching up to do, but she felt confident she could do it. 

"Lynx-O, I'm gonna enter the three legged race!" Kohlee called to Lynx-O. 

"Splendid!" said Lynx-O. "With whom?" 

The young Wollo blushed so furiously that it was visible through her dark fur. "Well, with Forir," she said, turning her head form where she'd left the boy at the starting line of the race. 

Lynx-O laughed delightedly. "I wish you luck!" he said to her. 

Kohlee and her friend did not end up winning, but they came in third, and got a green ribbon each, proclaiming this. Kohlee ran her hands across the embossed number and letters, and smiled. 

After the games came a gigantic barbecue. The booths all closed down for the night, ready to open on the next day of the four-day long festival. Fires were lit, and spits of meat and wire cages of vegetables were set to roast in the wood fires, and people sat down in groups everywhere to talk and tell stories. 

Lynx-O sat down next to his young student, who turned her face towards him. She recognized his sound and smell by then, and grinned. "Hi!" 

Lynx-O smiled. "Evening, young Kohlee. You've no idea how happy I am to hear you having fun." He was nearly done with his own meal by then. 

She gave a little bit of an embarrassed laugh. Then she shrugged. "Well...I guess...I guess it's not as hard as I thought it was. I never noticed how much I heard and sensed before...you know, this happened." 

Lynx-O smiled. "It's a shame, in a way," he said. "That people with sight miss out on many, many things when they don't need to use them." 

"Well...I kinda wanted to thank you," said Kohlee. "For all the stuff you did for me. And I'm sorry for kicking you in the shin that one day." 

Lynx-O laughed. "All is forgiven, my young friend." 

"Oh...and I made you this." Blushing, she handed Lynx-O something soft. 

Frowning in curiosity, Lynx-O took the item, and felt it. Whatever it was, it was very big, big enough to be a blanket, which turned out, that's what it was. 

"I knitted it," she said with an embarrassed laugh. "I never did it before, and so mama had to help me. And it was something I didn't have to see much to do, I could feel." 

"Beautiful," Lynx-O said, holding the soft blanket to his face. "Remarkable...thank you, Kohlee." He hugged the girl, who hugged him back. 

She shrugged, pleased and embarrassed at the same time. "I think it's all one color. But I didn't think it matters a lot to me or you what color it is anymore." 

"You are quite correct. It is quite lovely enough without worrying about color." 

Just then, as many people were finishing their meals, Forir came over, smiling shyly. "Hey..." he said to Kohlee. "They're starting a dance over there." The musicians of the fairgoers were getting together once more for more music and merrymaking, and the mead and wine were making their way into the crowd as well. "You, uh...want to dance with me?" 

Kohlee laughed a little bit, and shrugged agreeably. "Okay," she said to him. "See you later, Lynx-O?" 

"Of course." As he listened to the young Wollos leave, Lynx-O turned his face back to the warmth of the fire. 

After that night, Lynx-O did continue to instruct the young girl, and very soon, he realized she would not need his instruction for much longer. She was back in school, and had entered a class of warriors, along with others of her group. The instructor had been reluctant, until he saw that she fought better than three-fourths of his class already. 

The fact that she no longer needed his training did not stop the old cat from visiting, as they had become quite close friends by then. 

And though neither of them knew then, in years to come, for people who might need a bit of encouragement...their story would be told. It was a story, after all, of determination and inspiration. 

And courage. 


End file.
